


I would whisper words, singin' you to sleep

by cutebutpsyco



Series: Tony Stark Bingo 2019 Fills [2]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), IronStrange - Fandom, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Christine Palmer is a good bro, M/M, Nightmares, Stephen Strange Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Bingo 2019, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tumblr Ask Box Fic, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-11-04 20:47:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17905361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutebutpsyco/pseuds/cutebutpsyco
Summary: TONY STARK BINGO. FILL K5: NIGHTMARES ||Stephen had a power that Tony didn’t possess. Stephen’s voice was enough to bring the genius back to reality. Tony’s voice wasn’t. Because Tony didn’t know what to say, because every time Stephen woke up because of a nightmare, fear curled up against Tony’s stomach.





	I would whisper words, singin' you to sleep

**Author's Note:**

> A long time ago, an anon left this ask in my Tumblr inbox: _How about Stephen and Tony taking care of each other after nightmares ?_  
>  It took me a lot to fulfil it, but I thought it could also work well with the square in my Bingo card, so here we are. 
> 
> As always, English isn't my first language and this isn't beta read. All the mistakes belong to me and nothing else.  
> Title from One Wish by Sleeping Wolf.

There were hundreds of reasons why Tony Stark wasn’t the kind of man who could just lay in his bed and sleep. There were billion reasons why he just couldn’t close his eyes and open them the morning after, clinging against his boyfriend’s warm body. And, at the same time, there was just a single reason. 

It took the face of so many people that he just started to believe that whenever he was able to push a shadow away from his mind others were ready to looming behind the corners of his brain. He knew it was because of him. He knew every single life was on him; he knew aliens won’t stop to pass through a portal only because he killed the Mad Titan, and he knew that it was because of him. 

It was the problem with the Accords. It was what Vision said to him: since he revealed himself as Iron Man, a lot of enhanced individuals started to pop up all over the world, more times than not trying to conquer it. Tony knew it was true. He knew it; he saw it. And there weren’t only people with powers. Whoever was smart enough to represent a threat was with them or against the Avengers. But they weren’t the ones who suffer consequences of their own actions. Civilians did that. Every fucking time. 

He heard of the downfall of the invasion of New York; Stephen didn’t want to tell him, but Nic West spoke about that once, during one of the dinners held by med society élite Stephen dragged him in. His boyfriend tended not to take part in those celebrations, but when they gave a prize to Christine he said a giant fuck off to every concern he could have had. 

That night, though, joined to the millions of reason Tony had to not sleep at night. It wasn’t the night itself. It was the fact that he never thought about the downfall. Knowing three persons who had been there, trying to help for real, while the Avengers just blew half of the city up put things under a different perspective. Despite what Stephen told him shortly after that conversation. 

But, despite everything, Tony’s own weren’t the worst nightmares. He never realized it until he found himself desperately in love with the wizard with whom he was sharing the bed. Because if there was something worse than being woken up constantly by his own, for Tony, it was to see Stephen’s sweating forehead and the way he tried to push his tear back even in his sleep. 

Because Stephen was there for him, reminding him that the Ten Rings went down, that Obie died, that the Mandarin had never been a real threat, and that Extremis saved his life. Stephen was there telling him that following his parents in DC wouldn’t have changed anything if not forcing them to see the Winter Soldier killing their only son. Stephen was there, reminding him that things with Steve were going to settle down, and they would eventually be on speaking terms again, and that the Soldier wasn’t going to stab him during the night, didn’t matter what his brain conjured. And most important, Stephen was there when Thanos’s shadow loomed over his brain. 

But with the sorcerer’s nightmares, it was different. Tony couldn’t even imagine the real extent of it. Stephen never told him the entire story with Dormammu, Stephen never told him about Mordo (of whom Tony was jealous despite Strange telling him over and over again that they had been just friends and now he seemed to be his new enemy). And Stephen never spoke with him about his accident which Tony was surely being the most recurring of his nightmares. 

Stephen had a power that Tony didn’t possess. Stephen’s voice was enough to bring the genius back to reality. Tony’s voice wasn’t. Because Tony didn’t know what to say, because every time Stephen woke up because of a nightmare, fear curled up against Tony’s stomach. 

Because Tony knew that if something was enough to scare the most courageous man he knew, a man who stood and fought with aliens and took part to diplomatic dissertation in different dimensions like every other person walked into a supermarket, they must be the most haunting memories anyone could have. And Tony knew there was nothing he could say to make those nightmares go away.

And, despite everything, that was what kept Tony awake more than everything. He knew he wasn’t enough. He knew he couldn’t even get close to be the person Stephen needed by his side. Because he was broken, maybe even more than everyone could tell with a rapid glance. And Stephen needed someone better. Someone who knew how to deal with him. 

_“You keep me grounded,” Stephen told him, once. “Running from one dimension to the following can be overwhelming. But you keep me grounded. You are my anchor. You are the love of my life.”_

“I don’t know how to be that person,” He whispered, to the ceiling, which was starting to turn gold under the light of the dawn. “I keep failing you.”

And, as if he called for that, Stephen started to sob by his side, curling up against Tony’s chest, that knew better than wrapping his arms around his lover’s body. Stephen always felt imprisoned, constricted, while having a nightmare and cuddling him was the best way to send him in a full panic attack. 

“Christine,” He said, his voice broken by tears Tony knew he didn’t want to share. “Christine, please, open your eyes.” 

Tony woke up fully, his right hand shaking slowly Stephen’s shoulder. “Babe,” He whispered. “Babe, wake up, it’s a dream.”

Stephen turned toward him, eyes opening immediately but not focusing on the man in his bed yet. He shook his head, before rising a trembling hand to wipe his tears away. His eyes weren’t focused on Tony’s face. He was staring at him, but it was clear that he wasn’t seeing what was in front of him and Tony knew that, while with himself physical contact was useful, Stephen was different. 

He let his hand rest on Stephen’s shoulder and tried to bring him back from whatever place he was, but the only thing the sorcerer could do was repeat his best friend’s name. It took too much for Stephen to finally say something: “She was there… Christine, her hands...” 

It took Tony two seconds to understand. “Honey, love,” he said, in a whisper. “It was a dream. Christine is fine. Look, I’ll call her. Fri?”

“I’m on it, boss,” The AI’s voice replied, while Stark continued to brush shooting touches against his boyfriend’s skin. He was soaked with sweat and trembling under his touch. His breathing was starting to go back regular, following Tony’s exaggerated one. 

“Dr Palmer,” Christine picked up after three rings. 

“Christine,” Stephen’s voice was stained with panic, but now he was more focused on the other man in their bed. 

“Steph? Are you fine? Tony? Peter?” She asked, and, from the other side of the line, he could hear the sounds from the hospital. 

“Your hands…?” He just asked. 

“It was a nightmare, love,” Tony provided, knowing that would have helped the other doctor to fill up what she couldn’t understand. “Everything is fine. She’s ok.” 

“Yes,” Tony could kiss Christine now and here. He knew she was, but for Stark himself, the only person who could help Stephen toward his panic and anxiety. Wong was good in helping him in a lot of things, most of them of which Tony didn’t even know the existence, but Stephen hated to open up with people who weren’t Christine. Tony himself gathered as much about his boyfriend because of shared behaviours they had. “It was a dream, my hands are as good as always. Would you prefer to see me?” 

Stephen had curled up against Tony, his head on his lover’s shoulder and a hand on his chest. He was keeping his eyes shouted closed but sounded awake enough. “No, I… Not now. I’m sorry, Christine.”

“It’s fine,” Tony and the woman replied immediately and the genius couldn’t help a smile while he let his hand ran in the other man’s hair. Tony hummed, letting the person at the other side of the line continue: “What really matters is that everyone is all right. Tony, can you please hug your disastrous boyfriend for me?”

“Sure thing, doc,” Tony smiled, encircling Stephen with his arms as the man did over and over again over their entire relationship. It took some minutes for Stephen to reciprocate the hug, but, after a while, he did. “Shhhh,” Tony whispered, pushing his lips against the skin of his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Everyone is fine.”

That wasn’t something Tony didn’t know, that wasn’t a mysterious enemy, he could help Stephen when it was something that Tony as well knew: the fear of hurting people they cared about was something Stark knew very well. Stephen nodded, and it was clear that he was falling asleep again. Tony was glad for that. When he was the one to wake up and the sorcerer the man who had to bring him back to reality, the only thing he wanted to was being held in his boyfriend’s arms and speak about silly things. 

Stephen was different, he would go through the entire nightmare, blaming himself for having woke up from something that he just knew it wasn’t real. Tony preferred when he was too tired to do it. He smiled, softly, looking at the man he loved trying and failing to close his beautiful eyes. “Sleep, babe, I’m here.” 

“Love you,” Said softly Strange and Tony couldn’t help himself but placing a barely-there kiss against his lips. The shorter man manoeuvred them to lie again on their bed and went back to his contemplation of the ceiling until his phone chimed with a new incoming text.  
Unsurprising, it was from Christine who asked him what happened. Tony sighted before typing a rapid answer. He didn’t need further context to understand what was the nightmare. It was a recurring one, sometimes the person on the passenger seat was Christine, others Peter, others Tony himself, but it was always the same. 

Stephen still couldn’t get into a car, but every time he relieved that night, it was for the people he loved and not for himself that he felt guilty. “The crash nightmare,” Tony typed, and his right arm still around Stephen’s shoulders dragged his lover closer, as if he was trying to protect him even in his sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments are the air I breathe and the reason why I write, so make ur girl happy. 
> 
> **wanna say 'hi'? do you have a prompt for me?** find me on [tumblr](https://ironstrange-is-the-endgame.tumblr.com/).  
> find my entire bingo card on [dreamwidth](https://myrcellabaratheon.dreamwidth.org/3109.html) and [pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/posts/481274).


End file.
